Levy County

A 44-year-old Chiefland truck driver was killed Nov. 2 in a fiery accident that closed northbound lanes of Interstate 75 near Fowler Avenue for six hours.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 20-year-old Tampa woman was merging onto I-75 north when she crossed into the path of a Panama City man, 48, driving a semitrailer truck loaded down with cardboard boxes.

The driver of the semitrailer apparently swerved into the inside lane to avoid hitting the woman’s 2001 Ford Focus, but collided with the deceased man’s truck, which was carrying aluminum gussets.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene after his truck caught on fire in the median.

Unfortunately, accidents similar to the one in the story above are quite common and often fatal on Florida’s roadways. A truck accident can take a loved one from you in the blink of an eye. The pain, suffering and loss of a primary wage earner can be a truly devastating event for a family. A Chiefland, Florida Accidental Death Lawyer can help you and those close to you get through this challenging time. Many families believe that after the death of a loved one that they can handle the overwhelming matters that come along with a tragic accident like a truck crash themselves, but the reality is that you must think about funeral expenses, lost wages, medical expenses and other bills in addition to focusing on your own emotional recovery. This can often be too much for an individual or family to take on alone.

While nothing can bring back the death of a loved one, it is important for families to understand that they have legal recourse. Filing a wrongful death lawsuit can make sure all negligent parties are held accountable. A wrongful death lawyer at Whittel & Melton can investigate every aspect of an unfortunate truck accident. This can include analyzing the crash site, truck maintenance records, a driver’s log book and employee records. Further investigation may reveal multiple parties are to blame for your loss.

Even when every safety precaution is taken, a truck accident can be caused for any number of reasons, including:

• Driver Fatigue
• Inadequate Maintenance
• Driver Error
• Speeding
• Improperly Loaded Cargo

A fixed wing single engine plane crash that occurred over the weekend in the Morriston area has resulted in two fatalities.

According to the Chiefland Citizen, the victims of the crash have not been positively identified as of yet.

A witness with more than 50 years of experience as a pilot supposedly saw the aircraft leave the private air strip called “Wing Field” shortly after 4:30 p.m. The witness alleges that the aircraft spit and sputtered before crashing into a heavily wooded area.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are further investigating the incident.

According to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office, the cause of the crash remains unknown, but weather is not believed to have been a factor.

The most common airplane accidents tend to involve private planes, corporate jets and small chartered aircrafts. According to statistics from the National Transportation Safety Board, in 2008, general aviation had a lethal accident rate per 100,000 flight hours that was almost five times greater than the rate of accidents for commercial carriers. In 2009, more than 20 million flight hours were flown by general aviation aircrafts with 1,474 total accidents reported. A pilot’s level of experience undoubtedly plays a role in these numbers, but there can be other factors that can cause unfortunate mishaps in small plane accidents. The aircraft’s design, poor maintenance, a defective part, air traffic control negligence, weather and other factors can be the ultimate cause of a plane crash.

Due to the overwhelming circumstances involving small plane accidents, it is vital to understand that the investigations surrounding these accidents can be just as complex as major airline disasters. The legal issues involved with small plane accidents resulting in serious injuries or wrongful death are extremely complicated, so it is important to seek the aide of an experienced attorney if you believe aviation negligence played a role in you or a loved one’s crash.

Articles Posted in Levy County

Levy County Wrongful Death Attorney :: Chiefland Trucker Killed in Fiery Collision on I-75 in Tampa

Florida Aviation Plane Crash Wrongful Death Attorneys Whittel & Melton :: Two Die in Single Engine Plane Crash in Morriston, Levy County